The Nightmare
by potter-jackson01
Summary: This is just something I wrote awhile back and I thought maybe someone could read it, and enjoy it. Too short to bother with a summery.


I spent all night tossing and turning, hoping sleep would come to me, claim me as its own. It's not like I wanted nightmares, but I knew I had to sleep if I was going to survive. After all I hadn't slept in three days.

It started out small. Just the occasional appearance in my head, then it started to come all the time, now it just won't go away. I try to get as much sleep as I can before it realises I'm asleep and comes for me. The most I usually get is an hour then I wake up in a cold sweat, the only thing I'm able to think about when this happens is that horrible face.

Every minute of everyday it hunts me. The blood-red face that seems to be absorbed into the shadows despite its crimson color. I always seem to know when it's coming, but I'm not able to wake up until it's there. It's like being trapped in my own head, stuck with the voices that torment me whenever it's silent. This predatory monster that even scares away the demons that are always there. I always feel this chill when it's almost there, the feeling of dread that sets in anytime that thing is near.

I know that feeling all too well. The sudden silence even though i can still feel the presence of the source of the voices, the chill of the air even though it was almost scalding hot five seconds ago, the moisture that seems embedded in the air I'm breathing at the time, the sudden FEAR that sets into my mind. You might know it you might not, but if you don't it's about a thousand times worse than anything you can imagine.

The monster never really went away. I figured this out the hard way. I was at school when it happened, I had just finished the weekly Thursday pop-quiz Mr.Sanders had decided to give us on a Tuesday instead. I wish I could say I was surprised when it happened, but that would be lying, and while I might lie sometimes to others, I never lie to myself. I was picking up my book, when I saw that monster out of the corner of my eye in the reflection of the window. Paralyzed in fear I couldn't control the bloodcurdling scream I felt more than heard myself produce.

"Ms. Smith, are you alright?" I heard Mr. Sanders ask.

"I'm fine. Just thought I saw something." I replied, not taking my eyes off the window.

"Are you sure? You gave us quite a fright there young lady."

"Yeah I'm sure" I assured him finally tearing my gaze away from the reflection. "May I go to the nurse's office? I think I just need to lie down?"

"Of course. You should probably call your mom as well." He suggested.

"No, I'm fine."

"Ok."

After that I walked out of the room.

As I walked down the hallway I thought back to what had just happened. My nightmare had somehow taken physical form, I had read about things like that happening, where someone fears something so much that it somehow leaves their imagination and becomes real, to torment everyone not just that one person, but I never thought it would happen. I need to get rid of it, before it can find another target. It's currently feeding off of my fear and I need to keep it that way, until I find a way to get rid of it. Actually I know how to get rid of it, but I don't think I can. I need to prove to it that it doesn't scare me. Which doesn't seem that hard, but to me it seems like the most difficult thing in the world, and I'm not sure if I can do it.

NO! I thought to myself(rather loudly too) You can do this Lizzy! You have to do this!

The voice inside my head is right I got this. At that moment I decided to do something I never would've done before. I tried to call the monster to me.

I thought of that blood red face blending into the shadows, Come to me.

As soon as this thought left my mind I felt the temperature drop and heard all noise disappear. The initial fear that's always there when this thing comes sets in, but I push it away, Don't be scared Lizzy. I think to myself. It's just all your worst fears, rolled up into one being and now you have to destroy it, before it wreaks havoc on the people at this school. Piece of cake.

I turn around to see the monster that has been haunting me for months, only getting worse with each passing day. The creature is looking at me, as if it expects me to cower before it, but I cannot let this thing win!

"I am not scared of you." I say surprised by how confident my voice is.

The monster makes a creaking sound that I somehow know means Yes you are. You are and you know it.

"No I'm not." And as I say it I know it's true.

I'm not scared of this thing, I used to be, I used to be terrified, but now all I see is a danger to the people I love and nobody hurts the people I love.

"I'm not scared of you. You're nothing, but a bully. You've been bullying me for months and I'm not gonna stand for it anymore. You're not going to hurt the people I love. I won't let you."

After my speech I watched the thing scream in pain, before it vanished. I don't know how, but I somehow knew it was gone and it wasn't coming back. I had done it. I had saved my school, even if they didn't know it.


End file.
